Thursday, August 6, 2015

From plant to plate and back again

A movement towards more sustainable food options is burgeoning throughout the United States, and here in Atlanta many farm-to-table eateries are thriving and serving locally grown, ecologically sound food. Just steps from the source, produce from our own Edible Garden enriches the plates of both our weekend chef demonstrations and the offerings a the Café at Linton's in the Garden.

While thoughtful ingredient sourcing gets a lot of attention, the less glamorous side of sustainable food systems is the management of waste generated in the culinary process. With an eye towards waste reduction in the Outdoor Kitchen, when using disposable dishware and utensils, we choose those made from paper, bamboo, and corn. These are then sent to be composted at the commercial facility where we send out kitchen scraps and garden clippings. An earth-friendlier alternative to plastics, these items help sustain the ecological cycle by keeping waste out of landfills, and instead turning it into a valuable resource for the next growing season.-Heather Rice, Programs Assistant

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Atlanta Botanical Garden

Edible Garden

Showcasing the farm-to-table concept of cultivating and consuming fresh, local and sustainably-grown food, the Edible Garden project not only returns the 1-acre asphalt parking lot to green space but also demonstrates that fruits and vegetables make beautiful landscape plants.
The garden includes an Outdoor Kitchen where Atlanta's top chefs will present cooking demonstrations using garden ingredients. On weekends, the Garden Chef demonstrates seasonal recipes using ingredients harvested straight from the Edible Garden. And, as for those leftovers go, any food not used in educational programs will be donated to local charities.